Remember the Parable of the Prodigal Son? The King should, anyway, what with him being Head of the Church of England. Anyway, stop me if you’ve heard this before but Christ told us about a man who had two sons, one of whom demanded his inheritance and took off to spend his money on loose women and a life of sin, only to find that when the money ran out, he was in a dismal state.
So, on the basis that his father’s servants had a way better life than he had, he made up his mind to throw himself on his father’s mercy and ask to be taken on as one of the staff. When he was on his way, his father spotted him at a distance and ran to meet him, smothered him in hugs (I paraphrase), kitted him out in the best clothes in the house and killed the proverbial fatted calf for a welcome party. When the virtuous elder brother found out what was happening, he was far from pleased and stayed away in a sulk.
